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About Rs 45,000 crore has been demanded from Planning Commission for the second phase of Rajiv Awas Yojana that aims to provide affordable housing to urban poor, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken said Rajiv Awas Yojana was launched in June last year to make the country slum-free.

He said over Rs 41,723.13 crore has been sanctioned for construction/upgradation of 15.7 lakh dwelling units along with basis civic amenities like drinking water and sanitation under the Jawaharlal Nehru National urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Of these, 9.92 lakh units have been completed or are under construction, he said adding the Phase-II of Rajiv Awas Yojana (under JNNURM) is being modified to make it more successful.

"We are asking Planing Commission to allocate Rs 45,000 crore to this project," he said.

He said the percentage of poor among Scheduled Castes, which was 40.6 per cent in 2004-05, has come down to 34.1 per cent in 2009-10. The percentage of poor among Scheduled Tribes, which was 35.5 per cent in 2004-05 has come down to 30.4 per cent in 2009-10.

Asked about the criteria for deciding the poverty line, he said the Planning Commission had in September last year submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court to state that at 2001 price levels, any household with a monthly income of up to Rs 4,824 is poor.

He said economic and social vulnerability should be the basis for deciding poverty line and not household consumption.